


A lifetime

by GypseyRay



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Death, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Howard Stark's Bad Parenting, M/M, Peggy Carter is a matchmaker, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-17
Updated: 2017-03-17
Packaged: 2018-10-06 09:33:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10331660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GypseyRay/pseuds/GypseyRay
Summary: When you have a timer counting down to your soulmates death it can be good or bad but when your soulmate is destined to live an inhuman amount of time, what do you do?Loosely based off the prompt: Your soulmate clock is actually a countdown of how long your soulmate has left to live and holy shit you have to find your soulmate soon because your clock says you have three months left (for angst maybe).





	

On July 4, 1918, young Howard Stark’s timer finally began, much to the shock of everyone. His timer beginning wasn’t what was shocking but the amount of time on it, enough time for two lifetimes. How could someone live that long? How is it possible? As young Howard grew older, began to realize just how much time was there, he became even more invested in meeting Steven Grant Rogers and finding out just why he would seemingly life forever.  


Steve was born with his timer already running, 73 years, 5 months, and 13 days it read, the name Howard Anthony Walter Stark displayed proudly above the timer. Some weren’t too pleased with the name, it implied a male and while same sex soulmates happened, they were not always well received. Sarah Rogers, however, didn’t care what her sons soulmate was, so long as he had one, so long as he would live to meet them. Yet Sarah Rogers dreaded the day her son met his soulmate, for while the other would live for decades there was no guarantee after meeting that her son would be given the same amount of time, that he’d be given anytime at all after meeting.  


Bucky was about to ship out, Steve was about to lose the last family he had, and then it happened. On a bad date, on a bad night, Steve looked up at the neatly light stage and heard the name announced for the first time, Howard Stark. Steve knew that name, had read it a million times over on his own arm but now, now he had a face to go with the name, a beautiful face belonging to an odd man who seemed to dream of the future. Why would a man like that ever want someone like Steve? How could he love him? No, Steve wouldn’t burden poor Mr. Stark with his our failure of an existence.  


Fate has a way of making things happen so it should have been no surprise to Steve that he would see his soulmate again, though he had never imagined such circumstances. Here he was, about to risk his life while some mad scientist, who happened to be assisted by Steve’s own mad scientist of a soulmate, attempted to change Steve’s life forever.  


Howard knew that name, the minute it was said he knew who this bravely idiotic soldier was, who he would be to Howard, and that no, he would not die at Howard’s own hand because it was not his time, the experiment would work because Steven Rogers would live. He was still surprised, however, at how well it worked. The scrawny boy turned into a delectable man right before his eyes, the pinnacle of human perfection and all Howards.  
Dr. Erskine was dead, his soulmate was god knows where, and now Bucky was missing as well. No, Steve would not stand for this and neither would Peggy, the only person alive who knew the names that both Steve and Howard wore above their timers. Steve wanted to rescue his brother so be it, Peggy would just ensure that he did so with the help of Howard.  


No one outside of Peggy and the commandoes knew the truth of their captain’s love affair with the teams go to genius. For the day the good captain had rescued Bucky, and the 107th with him, Howard had been with his soulmate, yet never revealing his own timer to Steve, not wanting to show him the insanity that was to be Steve’s lifespan. It wasn’t unusual for one to keep their timers covered, even from soulmates, as to not worry others with, in most cases, how little time was left.  


The world said he was dead, the good captain died in a plane crash to save the world but yet Howard’s timer still ticked, Steven Grant Rogers still lived and he didn’t care if it took eternity, he would find his soulmate. Time went on and Howard married, some wealth woman with no soulmate to give him an heir, but still he searched, he could not give up for if his timer was still beating then so was Steve’s heart. His young son never understanding why his father cared so for the captain but not for him, for his flesh and blood.  


Meeting Tony Stark was like a knife in his heart, Howard had moved on without him, had lived a life. Nothing could hurt him more than that, nothing could sting so much, or so he though. Yes, Howard had had a family, a son, but he had hated them, abused his son and turned his back on the world, all in an effort to find Steve. He wasn’t sure what was worst, knowing his soulmate moved on, had a family, or knowing he couldn’t, instead becoming a monster driven by his own heartache. He would always love Howard, his Howard, but perhaps the timer was wrong, perhaps his Howard had died when he crashed into the ice, perhaps they both had. Yet he could not help but wonder if Howard knew, did he know Steve would live this long? Is that why he could not move on? Fate, her timers, had been meant to guide them but had it been what destroyed his beloved in the end? Steve thought so and be it his fault or hers he would spend the rest of his life looking out for Tony, no matter how much the man protested, because Tony was part of Howard, he was all Steve had left.


End file.
